Tonga

The flag of Tonga was adopted on 4 November 1875 and its design is fixed in the constitution so it cannot be altered. It was developed under the direction of King George Tupou I, Prince Uelingatoni Ngu Tupoumalohi, and the Wesleyan missionary Shirley Baker. The design evolved from an earlier white flag with a red cross that was rejected because it resembled the International Red Cross flag. Its symbolism is explicitly Christian: the red cross refers to the crucifixion and the blood of Christ, the white represents purity, and the red field reinforces the same religious meaning.